Archive
What is your favorite Vacation Bible School memory?
We are halfway through our Vacation Bible School at our church. It’s a lot of craziness and hard work, but it is great to see the smiles on the faces of those kids. I love seeing how excited they are about Jesus and the Bible.
Yet, I can’t help but wonder how much of a lasting impact is being made on these children. Will they remember what they learned and experienced ten years from now? a year from now? six months from now? a month from now? a week from now?
I have to be honest, I don’t have a lot of memories of VBS as a child. I remember petting a python at a VBS in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, though I do not have a clue what the snake had to do with what we learned. And that is pretty much all I have as far as VBS memories. Hopefully you are different than I am. Perhaps I am the exception, and the rest of you have many fond memories which have helped guide you all these years.
So tell me: what is your favorite memory of Vacation Bible School? It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate or life-changing (remember, my memory is of a reptile). Just tell me what your favorite memory is, as well as if and how it has helped you in your spiritual formation.
What type of Vacation Bible School does your church run?
It’s that time of year again! Our church’s VBS starts this Sunday. I am curious as to what other churches do for VBS. Do you do it during the day or at night? Does it run for several days, or is it just a one-day event? Let me know by voting in the poll below.
Ours runs Sunday night through Wednesday night. In the past I have done VBS during the day and as a one-day event. Feel free to discuss any unique ideas your church incorporates into their VBS. Next week I plan on writing another post on the legitimacy of VBS, so be sure to check back later for that!
Hustling for Jesus
I know what you’re thinking: “How does selling stolen stereos out of the back of a van help the Son of God?” Well, just think of all the things we could do with the money we would make! We could build schools, support missionaries, or buy a sweet bus for the youth group, complete with 20 plasma screens, a sub-woofer the size of an NFL linebacker, and a fold-out half-pipe. Okay, just kidding. That’s not what I’m talking about at all. But if someone would like to donate that bus, I could definitely put it to good use.
Today, the sports world is abuzz about Hanley Ramirez, the Shortstop for the Florida Marlins. If you haven’t seen or heard what happened last night, check out the video here.
Hanley accidentally kicks the ball into the left field corner, then jogs after it, showing absolutely no hustle and no concern for the runners rounding the bases. Two runs score, and the batter ends up on third base. Florida Manager Fredi Gonzalez benched Ramirez for this pathetic display, and after the game, Ramirez not only showed no remorse, he actually criticized his coach.
Ramirez has shown the sports world that it’s about him. Whether he feels this way or not, it appears that he does not care about his teammates nor his coach. If he wants to jog after a ball instead of sprint, he should be able to do that.
Before you are too quick to point your finger, ask yourself if you might be the same way when it comes to your church family. For you, is church about God and your spiritual brothers and sisters, or is it about you? Do you complain that you are not being fed, yet you never feed others? Do you argue that your needs aren’t being met while you ignore the needs of those around you? Do you wish that your church did more, even though you don’t lift a finger?
The church is Christ’s body (1 Corinthians 12.27), and we all play a part. Just like the Marlins cannot win a championship if one player doesn’t want to hustle, Christ cannot complete his work if you or I decide we don’t want to “hustle” or give it our all. When I make church (Christ’s body) about me, the whole body suffers (1 Corinthians 12.26), including myself and Jesus.
As a disciple of Christ, you are part of a team, a body, a church. If Christ is to complete his mission to bring the whole world to him (Ephesians 1.9-10), then we must put aside our selfish desires and give it all to him and his church. Our attitude should be the same as that of Jesus himself, “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! (Philippians 2.6-8).
Let’s ask ourselves: “Have I made church about me instead of about Christ and his followers? What can I do for someone else at church? How can I use my talents to serve my church? Am I an encouragement or a discouragement to other Christians? What am I doing to meet the needs of the people around me? Do I have the attitude of Christ?”
Welcome to my blog
For a little over a year, I have been thinking about beginning a blog. Today, I am finally taking the first step of what I hope is a wonderful journey. Blogs are a great way for people to creatively express their thoughts, hopes, desires, and frustrations. It is my hope and prayer that this endeavor will not only allow me the opportunity to impart my thoughts but also allow me to hear the many ideas of people around the country, or even the world.
If you don’t know me, let me briefly fill you in. I am the Youth & Family Minister for the Garriott Road church of Christ in Enid, Oklahoma. I am 12 days from my 1 year anniversary with this wonderful congregation. As a Christian and full-time minister, this blog will focus on the Christian life and my thoughts about church and ministry.
Besides ministry, I also enjoy music, sports, and cooking. I also enjoy reading and watching television shows which deal with these interests. From time-to-time, I may attempt to squeeze those into the mix.
In the meantime, let me suggest some other blogs for you to check out. These are some of the blogs which I enjoy reading.
Stuff Christians Like is a blog about the funny things we Christians do and what they just might reveal about our faith. The site is written by Jonathan Acuff, a preacher’s kid/copywriter who lives in Atlanta with his wife and two kids.
This is the blog of Wes Woodell, a campus minister in San Francisco.
Trey is a Christian husband and father, who moonlights as the minister for the church of Christ in Childress, Texas. This blog contains his thoughts about marriage, family, raising children, humor, faith and the life God intended for us all.
Donald Miller is the author of such books as Blue Like Jazz and A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. Donald provides a unique and challenging perspective on the Christian life. He is also one of my favorite authors.
If you have a favorite blog or even a blog of your own, let me know about it! Tell me about them in the comments. I look forward to sharing in this journey with you!
Michael L. Parks 